Harvard Pilgrim to Offer Digital Exercise Program Tailored for Diabetes Patients and Based on Real-Time Glucose Levels

GlucoseZone designed to help patients lower A1C and lose weight

(HARTFORD, CT) Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is partnering with Fitscript of New Haven to offer access to an innovative diabetes control program based on exercise, technology, and real-time glucose levels. The program, called GlucoseZone, is informatics driven and designed to help individuals reach their diabetes and fitness goals, lower blood glucose and A1C levels, reduce their reliance on medication, and manage body weight based on personal goals.

The program will be offered as a pilot to Harvard Pilgrim’s employer groups in Connecticut beginning in July.

“As Harvard Pilgrim looks to be on the forefront of innovation, we continually seek opportunities to improve the quality of care and improve the member experience,” said Paul Bartosic, Harvard Pilgrim’s Director of Sales for the Connecticut Market. “If we can help our members with diabetes reduce their blood sugar levels and reliance on medication as well as manage their weight, we will have made a real difference in their lives.”

The program enables users to follow high-quality diabetes-specific workout videos based on informatics and individual real-time diabetes data. Users can follow gym specific routines and workouts as well as outdoor activity while safely managing blood sugar levels during running, walking or biking. The outdoor mode tracks user performance and provides a detailed record of activity. The program is GPS enabled and includes safety and warning features. It enables fitness professionals using existing infrastructure to safely monitor, communicate and guide their clients.

A recent clinical pilot of GlucoseZone led to demonstrable improvement for participants in core diabetes metrics such as A1C reduction, weight loss and self-management. Participants who followed the program for 90 days reported an average 2.0% reduction in A1C and an average weight loss of 9.7 pounds along with an estimated $8,480 annual savings due to reduced need for medication.

“Exercise with diabetes is different,” said Charles O’Connell, Founder and CEO of Fitscript “Depending on the individual’s blood sugar level, it may or may not be safe to exercise. It may or may not be safe to perform certain types of exercises. When you factor in things like the type of diabetes you have, medications, food you eat, and the time of day, exercise can get complicated. GlucoseZone factors in these variables to provide an exercise solution based on an individual’s real-time diabetes state and glucose levels.”

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About Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Harvard Pilgrim and its family of companies provide health benefit plans, programs and services to more than 3 million customers in New England and beyond. A leading not-for-profit health services company, we guide our members – and the communities we serve – to better health.

Founded by doctors nearly 50 years ago, we’re building on our legacy. In partnership with our expansive network of doctors and hospitals, we’re improving health outcomes and lowering costs through clinical quality and innovative care management.

Our commitment to the communities we serve is driven by the passion of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. Through its work, low- and moderate-income families are gaining greater access to fresh, affordable food — a cornerstone to better health and well-being.

Created in 2012, Fitscript LLC was founded to help people living with diabetes meet the exercise requirement for safely and effectively reducing and controlling their diabetes. Fitscript’s patented, proprietary GlucoseZone program, now with more than 1 million users, is the first-ever digital exercise solution for diabetics that helps improve their A1C levels and achieve weight loss based on real-time glucose levels. The all-new GlucoseZone app contains live and on-demand exercise solutions, interactive workouts, diabetes discussions and much more. The app is currently available on iOS and Android. To learn more about GlucoseZone, please visit www.glucosezone.com. Connect with GlucoseZone’s social media channels: www.youtube.com/GlucoseZone and www.facebook.com/glucosezone.

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